Last week a neighbor kid about 12 saw me playing and sat outside my window and listened for about 10 minutes when I stoped and asked him if he liked what I was playing(just doing my own little made up jam). He said yes and stated his dad bought him a guitar for christmas and never took him for the lessons he was promised, and that really wanted to learn.
I told the kid to go ask his dad if he could come in and to go bring his guitar so I could see what I was working with. The kid comes back with a "First Act". I took one look at this thing and said "Oh dear lord". I handed the kid my Schecter and showed him 5th power cords on just the E and A strings and plugged him in. I set his guitar up, took me about hour and half because of the bridge. Well the kid just was having a ball.
Tip #1, even though this was not a good guitar, they can be setup to play. So have the guitar setup by someone that knows how. Aboslute must! If its hard to play you are just going to quit out of frustraion
2 put #9s strings on, easier on your fingers.
3 Always play plugged in and turn that amp up so you can hear it good or get some headphones.
4 learn how light of a touch you need to make the note ring out, with both hands, stumming and fretting. It generally takes less muscle then you think to make the note ring clear.
5 practice, practice ,practice, slooooowly!
3 (A) If you're using head phones, watch the volume. Misuse of headphones (not to mention amps in general) is a great way for a kid to lose a lot of hearing before he or she turns thirty. I know this flies in the face of rock 'n' roll, but we're not all that far from having an entire generation of deaf, or at least seriously hearing impaired, people.
Okay, enough of the cranky old person routine... :wink:
Peace
Huh?
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Sid,
What a Kewl Story... Right On Man. Teaching Kids is so much fun.. be it sports, music, art.
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
3 (A) If you're using head phones, watch the volume. Misuse of headphones (not to mention amps in general) is a great way for a kid to lose a lot of hearing before he or she turns thirty. I know this flies in the face of rock 'n' roll, but we're not all that far from having an entire generation of deaf, or at least seriously hearing impaired, people.
Okay, enough of the cranky old person routine... :wink:
Peace
David, my point was that it doesn't take a whole lot to get those strings vibrating and if you play unplugged or the volume so low you can barely hear it you are going to play harder then needed.
This kid was trying to play before I met him and honestly was playing harder with both hands then needed. He dug his pick into the strings and would fret single strings hard enough to bend them sharp.
Yes don't blow be a Paul Gilbert and pop those ear drums.... Watch your volume.
David, I edited the post just a bit.
Sid,
What a Kewl Story... Right On Man. Teaching Kids is so much fun.. be it sports, music, art.
Dagwood, I'm not a teacher by any stretch, but I felt the need because I know what it's like to be promised something by someone and those promises never appear. When you are young you have very little control of things like promises, sometimes just disappointment.
I loaned the kid a small practice Kustom amp, a set of cheap studio sony head phones and Noteboats theory book. I should see him next week.
I hope the kids dad hears him play something and remembers the lessons that were promised.
I loaned the kid a small practice Kustom amp, a set of cheap studio sony head phones and Noteboats theory book. I should see him next week.
That was a cool thing to do, Sid, your rock'n'roll karma's good for now. I bet he's looking forward to next week!
BTW, Pete Townshend blames excesssive headphone usage in recording studios - rather than amps cranked up to infinity onstage! - for his hearing loss.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
SCSid
Please don't take my post as much more than, as I said, a cranky old man post. I have these moments sometimes (and more of them as I get older :wink: ).
That being said, I think that what you're doing is fabulous and I can't wait to hear more about how things are going. Playing music is a gift and to share that gift by giving it to someone else is wonderful. Not to mention a blast!
Keep us updated!
Peace
Hey SId,
Yeah but your ARE a teacher...whether you realize it or not. :)
AND, you can prolly teach this kid, and a few others what you know...which is prolly more than you think.
Keep it up....if you can. I think its awesome that you're willing to show him a few things :)
D-
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
SCSid
Please don't take my post as much more than, as I said, a cranky old man post. I have these moments sometimes (and more of them as I get older :wink: ).
That being said, I think that what you're doing is fabulous and I can't wait to hear more about how things are going. Playing music is a gift and to share that gift by giving it to someone else is wonderful. Not to mention a blast!
Keep us updated!
Peace
I actually laughed a bit when I read your post as I do understand what you said and it was for the newbies.
Oh yeah, I'm a cranky old man too :mrgreen:
SCK, that's a good thing you did. You've done your good deed for the year already too. I see life in the fast lane for you soon. :)
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
what a nice thing you are doing. good things will come bqck to you.
cranky old man? ...shouldn't it be, 'crank it, old man' !
What a nice story. Way to go Sid! 8)
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
